HKIA Resumes Dual-runway Operation as North Runway Reopens

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has resumed its dual-runway operation at 1545hrs after the reopening of the North Runway, which was temporarily closed earlier due to a freighter’s tyre burst and hydraulic system failure upon landing at HKIA. 

At about 0600hrs, Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) received report from Air Traffic Control Tower that Atlas Air freighter 5Y4304, which departed from Hong Kong earlier this morning, requested an emergency air return. At 0712hrs, the plane landed on the North Runway and was staged on the runway with its aircraft tyre burst. None of the five crew members on board was injured. All related parties at HKIA immediately arranged personnel for emergency response, including cargo offload and tyre replacement. As the hydraulic system of the freighter had broken down, the emergency handling took longer than expected. The North Runway reopened at 1545hrs.

Earlier, after Alaskan cargo flight 5Y4304 took off at about 0410hrs from the South Runway, AAHK received report that suspected tyre fragments were detected on the runway. AAHK initiated emergency clearance according to established procedures and arranged other flights to land and take off on the North Runway. The clearance work concluded at about 0620hrs.

AAHK is highly concerned about the incident and will require the airline to submit a report to AAHK and Civil Aviation Department as mandated by set procedures.

From 0700hrs to 1500hrs, HKIA handled 315 flights, of which 186 were delayed. AAHK advises travellers to refer to HKIA’s website or information from airlines for updated flight information.